TOM FOR TRUMP ... MIKE FOR MARCO
(Politics and Sports)
NEWS
ITEM: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady supports Donald Trump for
President.
Loving both sports and politics, I noted Brady’s
endorsement with fascination. Many who don’t care for Trump groaned at the
news, but Brady’s tough. He can take it. And good for him—taking a public stand.
Politics shape our world and if you care about the world, you should care about
politics. Who goes to the White House is almost as important as who goes to the
Super Bowl!
I care about what we used to call civics. It’s
distressing that some can name every Red Sox player but can’t name their
senators. So if Brady stepping into the political realm results in more people
thinking about the N.H. Primary, then that’s a good thing.
A former Harvard gridster named Teddy Roosevelt called
the presidency a “bully pulpit,” a platform from which one can shape opinions
or “call plays.” And quarterbacks are play-callers. Consider former
signal-caller Doug Flutie, who won the Heisman Trophy at Boston College in
1984. He later played in the NFL for the Bears, Patriots, and Bills
Beloved in Buffalo, Flutie used his gridiron celebrity
to stump for Democrat Hillary Clinton in upstate New York and helped her win a
U.S. senate seat in 2000. But fast-forward to 2010, when Republican Scott Brown
was running for U.S. senate in Massachusetts—where
the GOP claims around 15% of registered voters. Flutie created some special
sports energy for Brown, who won a stunning upset. Brown’s cause was helped
when his Democrat opponent, Martha Coakley, derided Red Sox World Series hero
and Brown supporter Curt Schilling. Coakley claimed Schilling was in the Yankee
camp, which sealed her fate as a serious candidate in Massachusetts.
(Note to Senator Kelly Ayotte: Ask Scott Brown for
Flutie’s cell phone number.)
Sports and politics inevitably mix. Both involve reality
television, competition, and drama. Wilt Chamberlain helped Richard Nixon win a
close election in 1968. LeBron James and Michael Vick helped re-elect Barack
Obama in 2012 as Celtic icon Danny Ainge’s support wasn’t enough to get Mitt
Romney to Washington.
I met another former Harvard gridster—Ted Kennedy—in
1980 when he was campaigning in the North Country before the N.H. primary. He
gave a little speech where he tried to associate his campaign with the
“Miracle” U.S. Olympic ice hockey Gold Medal triumph at Lake Placid. President Jimmy
Carter had similarly tried to attach his star to the hockey heroes. (Olympians
Mike Eruzione, Jim Craig and other teammates were invited to appear with the candidates,
but declined.) I asked Kennedy what he thought about the International Olympic
Committee not recognizing the Republic of China, as international politics kept
the athletes from Taiwan from participating in those Olympics.
“I frankly don’t care whether Taiwan participates or
not,” was Kennedy’s response, which still troubles me.
Almost every elected official has some sports
connection. One of my dad’s fondest sports memories is hitting a home run in
Littleton 65 years ago off of future N.H. Governor Hugh Gallen. The name
recognition that sports provides can catapult people to political prominence.
Ronald Reagan claimed that football kept him going to
classes at Eureka College.
“I needed that C average for football eligibility,”
recalled Reagan. “I sometimes wonder what I might have amounted to if I’d taken
my studies more seriously.”
Reagan’s nickname, The Gipper, stems from his movie
portrayal of Notre Dame legend George Gipp in KNUTE ROCKNE, ALL AMERICAN.
There are countless examples of athletes going into
politics. Like Bill Bradley, who went from the N.Y. Knicks to being a U.S. Senator
from New Jersey. He later ran for president, until Al Gore took him out hard in
the 2000 N.H. Primary. (And Bradley thought the Celtics played dirty?)
Jim Bunning won 224 Major League Games, including a
no-hitter for the Tigers in 1958 and a perfect game for the Phillies in 1964.
Would he have ever been elected as U.S. Senator from Kentucky if he’d never
been a baseball player?
Congressional Democrats and Republicans have an annual
baseball game. The Dems lead the series 39-38, but the Republicans won 11
straight from 1964-74, helped in large part by “Vinnegar Bend” Mizell, a rep
from North Carolina. Mizell pitched in the National League for nine years
before going to Congress. The Dems had a majority in the House at the time, and
some of them tried to pass a law prohibiting Mizell from participating in the
annual baseball contest. Talk about power politics!
Another former Bills quarterback, Jack Kemp, represented
Buffalo in Congress before running for president. Maybe Brady could do likewise!
He obviously cares about issues and showed guts by endorsing Trump. If he
wanted to, he could probably get elected as the only Republican congressman
from Massachusetts.
So, inspired by Brady, I too will advocate for my own
candidate, who I think would be a great president for many reasons, which will
become ever-clearer to voters as the weeks go by. But as this is a sports
column, for now I’ll just say that I’m for the only candidate who married a
former NFL cheerleader!
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